Fact: Negara Brunei Darussalam, officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace is located in Southeast Asia, in the northern coast of the island of Borneo. It is also near the southern Philippines. Its neighboring countries include Malaysia and Indonesia too. Brunei has one of the highest per capita income in the world and the highest in Asia.  The Sultan, heir to the 500-year-old monarchy, is one of the richest men on earth. The massive wealth of the Sultanate came from the exploitation of Seria oilfields.
  I believe every Bruneian is rich. There are two private cars for every person, placing Brunei in the list of cities having one of the top highest car ownership rates.  In a country where there is no personal income tax, low gas rates and low importation taxes, I would understand the opulence of luxury cars and why public transportation is unimportant, to the locals at least. Only tourists like myself will need the buses and the cabs that are inconveniently unavailable beyond 6:00 P.M. Tourism is welcome but not a priority in this prosperous country.
  My newfound Bruneian friends told me that their government takes good care of them, sometimes to a fault. There are Bruneians who do not really worry if they have jobs or otherwise. They get free education, free medical care, high minimum wage, pension and subsidies for car loans with no interest rates. Banks there will not call it “interest”, they label it as processing charges. The government gives a $2,000 allowance for the unemployed plus housing and rice subsidy. I have observed that a country so small with a population of a little more than 400,000 has a significant number of foreign workers. Foreign wage earners consist one-third of their population.
 

Fact: A symbol of Brunei’s sovereignty is sobriety. As an Islamic country, alcohol is banned from public consumption and you will not find a store around town that sells it. It‘s not served in restaurants too. If you are a Non-Muslim adult, you can purchase a limited amount of alcohol (two liters plus twelve cans of beer) from the airport when you arrive.  Smoking in public places is also prohibited. There is also high police visibility and they are ”gunless”, which only goes to show that Brunei is a safe place for foreigners and most crimes that occur are nonviolent crimes of opportunity.  That is proof that a sober society is a peaceful society.  Untruth: You cannot, in no way it is possible, and it is absolutely prohibited, to smoke in public.  – You will see people walking the streets, seated on cafes and bus stations smoking cigarettes.

Fact: There are no casinos. Playing cards and any gambling devices cannot be purchased. Fake bags and brands are everywhere. Upscale shopping in malls in Brunei is not really upscale. The way to acquire luxury items is through online shopping. All of the above are items offending Islam, that includes furs, jewelry, precious metals and stones and ivory.

Untruth: Before I came to Brunei, I asked a few others who have visited this place, about the proper “fashion” decorum. Considering it’s a Muslim country, I was thinking I’m expected to wear something I would wear in Saudi Arabia. It was recommended to wear conservative clothes on the duration of my stay and I took that advice. Fact: I suffered from the scorching hot, humid, tropical climate, with jeans and long sleeved shirts that made the igneous feeling worse. Even the nights are sweaty. I eventually found out that the locals are not really bothered by seeing foreigners in shorts and short dresses, as long as you are not a Muslim; or you will not enter the mosques; or you will not be anywhere near the Sultan on a formal occasion. They are more modernized than what everybody thinks!
Thinking of skinny dipping…
Interesting stories from the locals:  I have listened to many stories on why Brunei doesn’t have Starbucks but this is by far the most sound reason I have heard: The Starbucks logo has a Goddess in it and it offends Islam. 


  The original plan for this building is for it to be twice as high as it presently is, but structures are not allowed to be higher than the mosques so they had to “cut it in half”.
   
  In general, a visitor of Brunei will find that the people in it are very warm and have ready smiles. They are very helpful especially to tourists who are directionally challenged (yup that’s me!). I resigned to the thought of walking the streets of this city for two days. But I made at least three Bruneian friends who accompanied me for a tour on a two-door car and a Lexus. We went around town and to: (links to follow later, I have house chores to finish first) 
 
The House Where the Sultan Was Born
Pasar Gadong
Kampung Ayer
Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque
The Empire Hotel
Twelve Roofs
 
*Cebu Pacific offers direct flights from Manila to Brunei Darussalam with fares ranging from Php2,800 – Php3,500 (S$D85-S$95). A visa is not required for Filipinos who will be staying for fewer than 14 days.
**You can use Singapore dollars in Brunei – BND1=S$1  

Actually, in its purest form, Islam is incredibly tolerant. That makes what’s going on in the world really bizarre. 
– Steve Earle